Twofaced
by Perpetual Thoughts and Meaning
Summary: Eventually AlbelCliff if I'm brave enough. Albel and Cliff are assigned to a mysterious mission, and only Albel knows its location. Think again if you expected these two to get along!
1. Part One: Clash of the Crewmates

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Two-faced

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Written by: Perpetual Thoughts and Meaning

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Disclaimer: Hmm… I'll list some of the many reasons why I couldn't have made these characters… One: I can't draw in the slightest. Two: Can someone who's 13 ¾ actually make a video game? Please don't sue me, because I don't even have a hairball saved up!

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Spoilers: Yes, there shall be spoilers throughout this story. If you haven't finished playing Star Ocean, then I suggest that you only read this story if you've gotten to the last boss, or to Gemity. If you haven't played the game, however, then you're okay to read it, because I'm not specific with anything else.

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Summary: Albel and Cliff are partners on a mysterious mission that involves having to stick together and not kill each other in the process. Yeah, I know, it's not funny. This chapter is the prologue and explains how Albel was the one to be Cliff's partner in the wacky mission. Don't be confused about Fayt's odd manner toward Albel; if you fellow gamers remember correctly, Albel and Fayt _did _have the talk on Elicoor II that he spoke about. Eventually Cliff/Albel if I'm brave enough.

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A/N: If you're one of the people who have read one or some of my DM/HG fics and you're wondering if I had forgotten about that shipping, you don't have anything to worry about. I just needed a break from those two, but don't get me wrong, I'm still as loyal as hell to them. I've recently gotten into yaoi, but I promised myself to never turn to Draco/Harry yaoi, because it's just nasty… These two (Albel/Cliff, I mean) however, look so adorable together! Eh, sorry… **Edit Part 5: **Yes, I'll continue to update the entire story when I upload a new Part/Chapter, because I'm constantly catching mistakes in my story. Someday I might be able to upload only one chapter when I update, but that day isn't today. Also, I've added more description, because I felt like my story was lacking it.

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Extra note: This was going to be a one shot fanfic, but it turned out to be 40 pages. So, being the nice, caring, reasonable -She coughs, hacks, and collapses.- person I am, I took the time to make 3-paged parts for you guys! So what if no one is reading this? I'm used to it! -She's really in tears as she's typing this.-

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Rating: PG-13, because most thirteen year-olds can't write rated R things without having some experience, which I thoroughly lack. Oh, also for some language, but who gives a shit if they curse a little?

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Part 1: Clash of the Crewmates

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One man's misery is another man's mystery.  
No one cares to understand my demented means.- **Message in Blood **by **Pantera**

They were conversing in hushed voices, a vicious man standing in the centre of the gang of mismatched crewmates, his unperturbed and haughty manner challenging their astounded and livid ones. The man donned an unusual gauntlet that covered his left arm and his right shoulder blade, his clawed left hand resting on the hilt of his sword, the Crimson Scourge, his clawed fingers tapping against its sheath. He would sometimes nod at a comment, but mostly, he would shake his head, his two platinum rattails whipping his crewmates with the action. His jet-black bangs concealed his pitiless scarlet orbs, his mouth curled into his infamous, inhumanly twisted, Albel smirk. After a few moments, he lifted his artificial hand from his blade, shook his head one last time, and made a cutting motion at his throat by running the tip of one of his razor-sharp claws gently over his throat.

"Silence," the man growled faintly, tilting his bangs out of his merciless orbs, scanning around for any sign of defiance from the crew. "We have no need for backup. I'm more than capable of completing the mission by myself and I think that he'd agree with me if we asked him that. Anyhow, seeing as _I _was the one who called this private meeting in the first place, I think that it's only proper that I handle it in my own manner…"

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…that includes more than a few casualties… Albel finished maliciously.

"Well," Maria Traydor began, immune to Albel's piercing glare, "my only problem is that your methods are a bit inflexible at times. You may end up chopping him into little bits and pieces instead of bringing him back to the ship."

Albel's smirk grew, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I once thought of doing those exact words," he coolly drawled, his crimson eyes reflecting his sadistic nature perfectly for a second before changing back to their usual animosity. "I know that I can't butcher him… No matter how much I desire… I went over the matter in my head before this meeting, so you can trust that we'll **both** return in one piece."

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Yeah right, Maria wanted to say, but kept it to herself.

"I find that hard to believe," Nel Zelpher said serenely, staring thoughtfully at the other Elicoorian. "I don't know you very well, but I **do** know that if he got on your nerves, you'd ditch or annihilate him. I'd feel much better if one of us came along to make sure that if the situation was happening, that they'd stop you."

Albel's arrogant manner vanished and his scarlet orbs grew sinister. "It's worms like **you** that get on my nerves," he growled venomously. "You Aquarian scum all think the same, 'If someone from Airyglyph is involved, he'll only cause trouble.' You disgust me."

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Aquarian scum? Nel thought incredulously, her bright green eyes narrowing into slits.

Fayt Leingod glanced quickly between the two Elicoorians, his emerald green eyes widening fairly. "Hold on," he whispered, breaking their stare-off. "I think that we should trust Albel on this one."

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Heh, Albel thought. _At least someone here has brains._

Maria stared disbelievingly at Fayt. "You can't actually believe him!" she whispered, her eyes beseeching with Fayt.

Fayt shrugged, oblivious to Maria's expression. "Albel and I had a conversation a long time ago back on Elicoor," Fayt whispered, glancing over at Albel. "I don't doubt anything that he promises. I think that you guys should, too."

Maria sighed and nodded slowly. "Fine," she muttered disagreeably, "if you trust him, I guess that I'll try as well."

Nel was silent, eying Albel critically under her burgundy bangs, and after a few moments, she nodded in agreement. "Yes," she drawled, her expression impassive, "I will, but if you go back on your promise…"

"That's what I thought," Albel murmured, deliberately interrupting Nel. "We'll be leaving at dawn, so someone should wake up Fittir and give him an update."

"Okay," Maria began a bit louder than intended, "I _can_ agree with trusting you and all, but waking him up? That's simply **out** of the question!"

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Her cause is amiable, Fayt thought, _but it's directed at the wrong issue._

Albel's satisfied smirk turned acidic as he placed a claw over his lips. "Lower your voice, fool," he growled, his crimson orbs scattering about the small room.

"No," Maria interrupted him, her voice increasing. "I won't be ordered around like some slave, and I certainly won't let my friends be treated the same way!"

"Maria," Fayt tried to intervene, "you _really_ should quiet down before he…"

"Hey guys," a sleepy voice came from the opened door. "What's with all the hollering?"

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That'd better not be… Albel grumpily thought, glowering down at Maria.

Albel pushed his way out of the mob, gazing moodily up at the slightly taller blond Klausian, his mouth twisted into a venomous scowl. "One of the _worms_ couldn't control her eagerness," he drawled, preventing himself from glancing back at Maria and mouth a threat.

"Oh," Cliff said and yawned widely, stretching his muscled arms into the air. "That's all? Man, must've been pretty bad, 'cause I could hear her between my pillows… I couldn't hear what she was hollering (at this some of the crew silently released their held breath), but it was enough for me to want to check it out…"

Albel glared icily at Maria when Cliff was yawning again. "She was excited about the latest mission so much that she couldn't contain herself," Albel replied in his usual deadpan drawl. "We planned on telling you when you woke up, but now, I guess that we'll have to tell you _sooner_ than expected."

"Who?" Cliff asked, looking as if he'd been jolted out of his thoughts. "We have a mission?"

"Me," Maria replied, pretending to not notice Albel's fixed glare.

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I'll get him back later, Maria vowed to herself.

"The mission requires only you and me," Albel calmly drawled to Cliff.

"Sounds fun," Cliff replied. "When we leavin'?"

Albel opened his mouth, expecting Cliff to hate the idea of working with him, and had to eat his words. He'd prepared a clever retort in advance, but now words seemed to fail him. He wanted to pinch himself. He didn't know if he should feel relieved or astounded, because he'd never experienced either of the two emotions often. He stared blankly up at Cliff, trying to mask his conflicting emotions, when he remembered that the Klausian was waiting for an answer.

"We'll leave at sunrise," Albel replied coldly, finally regaining the ability to speak.

"Wait a sec," Cliff said, as if his brain was actually functioning for once. "Why aren't the others coming along?"

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I knew it, Albel thought gloomily, a nasty smile tugging at his lips.

"If you'd been listening to me," he sternly drawled, "then you'd know."

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He never considers anyone other than himself, Nel thought, watching the two with narrowed jade orbs.

"Hey, give me a break," Cliff whined, staring down at Albel. "I'm still half-asleep, okay? Just tell me again."

"The mission only requires us," he repeated, his voice rigid, his mask unwavering.

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Why's he always so cold all the time? Cliff wondered to himself.

"Chill out, okay?" Cliff said, patting Albel on his artificial arm. "I don't care if I work with you, if that's what you're so worked up about."

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How'd he pierce my perfect mask? Albel wondered incredulously, his crimson orbs widening. _Does he possibly know me better than I do myself?_

"I'm not worried about anything," Albel brusquely replied, trying to compress his overflowing emotions, "and if you touch me again, you'll live to regret it."

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Ah, I get it now! Cliff thought, his brain suddenly functional.

Cliff raised his thick eyebrows at the slightly shorter man, and a strange smile transformed his face, as if he knew something that Albel didn't. "Okay," he said in a soft tone similar to one would use with an angry child. "I get ya'."

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Maybe I should've let one of those worms join the mission, Albel thought, sitting quietly down on a chair away from the rest of the crew, holding his head in both of his hands, running his clawed fingers through his black bangs.

"Hey, are you okay?" a sympathetic voice belonging to none other than the blue-haired Fayt Leingod broke his train of thought. "You seemed a bit testy, so I just wanted to make sure that you were feeling okay."

"It's none of your business," he snarled in reply. "I've always been like this. Leave me be and rejoin your filthy lot."

Fayt appeared hurt, but he persistently shook his head. "No Albel," he protested firmly, "you haven't ever been **this **moody before."

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Who asked you? Albel wondered grumpily.

Albel's head snapped up, his scarlet orbs narrowed at the teenager. "Since when do you worms pay attention to me?" he shot back at him, his artificial arm inches from the Crimson Scourge's scabbard. "If you've been doing some **spying** of **your own**, maggot, I'll wipe the floor with your dilapidated carcass."

Fayt, however, wasn't affected by his threat. "You aren't as isolated from the rest of us as much as you think," he replied with a small smile. "Believe it or not, we **do** pay attention to you, and I just happened to notice your cross mood, so take it whichever way you like." He walked back to the rest of the crew, glancing back at Albel with a wider smile.

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Yes, Albel thought with an ominous smile, _you'll be smiling once I slice you to death…_

"Their lot are maggots, filthy, little, damnable maggots," Albel grumbled darkly.

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To be continued…

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A/N: There definitely aren't enough Albel/Cliff fanfics out there… I mean, there are a trillion in Japanese, but the only languages that I know how to read and speak uses these characters. I can speak Japanese, but I sure as hell can't read in the language. Isn't that annoying? Anyway, I wouldn't mind if someone told me how I did. I'm not used to writing in their POVs, but I at least hope that I got some of them IC half of the time. _Sayonara _until next time!


	2. Part Two: Chummy? and The Flight of Bore...

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Two-faced

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Written by: Perpetual Thoughts and Meaning

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Disclaimer: Hmm… I'll list some of the many reasons why I couldn't have made these characters… One: I'm far too immature to even begin to comprehend the difficult psyche of Arbel the Twisted (that's his original Japanese name, by the way). Two: I'm not entirely sure, but I do believe that this site doesn't provide money for work that wasn't the author's original idea. I'm just borrowing these guys for fun, and I'm far too young to be paid for what I do (unless it's chores). I'm begging you, please don't sue me, because you'll be on the losing end! Oh, and I wrote the song that Albel makes up…

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Spoilers: Not really, unless you read the A/N, which I doubt that _anyone_ will.

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Summary: Albel and Cliff are partners on a mysterious mission that involves having to wake Cliff up without being clobbered to death! Yeah, I know, it's not funny. This is a filler chapter to satisfy my need for logic in the world. I refuse to give my readers (even though I know that no one reads my crap) an illogical chapter, and I'm the kind of person who likes to explain the situation clearly (I hope) to my reader. I sincerely hope that this chapter doesn't distract you from my story or bore you, and that it helps you guys out. Just to give a heads-up, if something seems amiss to you, then you're right. There's a reason why I'm not giving other details, but it's up to you to figure it out, okay? Shall eventually be Cliff/Albel if I work up the courage. Kind of Albel/Cliff fluff if you squint your eyes a few minutes as you read the chapter…

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A/N: This is one of the kind of funny chapters that no one laughs at… Er, yeah. I didn't plan out for the chapter to turn out like this, but nothing ever goes the way I want it to. I wrote this chapter without any break on paper and typed it directly off the paper without any corrections, because I couldn't find any mistake, and the spellchecker didn't find anything, either… Enough of my pointless babbling! Enjoy the story! **Edit part 5: **I've changed the scene where Albel has to wake up Cliff, because I know that he's a light sleeper, due to the catching Nel coming into their room to say goodbye thing… There are more changes, as well…

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Rating: PG-13, because most thirteen year-olds can't write rated R things without having some experience, which I thoroughly lack. Oh, also for some language, but who gives a shit if they curse a little?

Part 2: Chummy/The Flight of Boredom

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Dawn breaks evenly today  
on the truth and the lie.- **Kick The Chair **by **Megadeth**

Albel poked his head into the blond Klausian's bedroom earlier the next morning, determined to find some method of waking him up. He knew that the Klausian wasn't a morning person, and he almost sympathised with him, because he too hated waking up early. Nevertheless, he'd given the man a fair warning, and he'd drag him out of his bedroom, even if they both received bruises in the process. He crept into the room, his senses sharp, and his scarlet orbs darting about in the darkness until he made his way before the Klausian's bed. The man was silently sleeping, his pale face almost magnificent.

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Too bad he's not this silent when he's awake… Albel found himself thinking before he ran a claw over the Klausian's face carefully in an attempt to wake him up.

Cliff had odd reflexes. His right arm immediately shot up to punch Albel's face, but the shrewd Elicoorian caught him by his wrist. The man still seemed to be asleep and he tried to get his wrist out of Albel's iron grip. He finally gave up after a few moments and his wrist lay motionless in Albel's claw. Albel sighed, rolled his scarlet orbs at the ceiling and released Cliff's wrist.

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Okay, he thought, _this may be a bit more difficult than expected…_

"Worm," he leaned down to whisper in the Klausian's ear, "time to wake up."

"Five more minutes," Cliff groaned and moved his head away from Albel.

Cliff silently shivered, smiling to himself under the covers. He wasn't asleep. No, he was far from it. He'd always been a light sleeper and had taken to pretending to be the opposite to learn secrets. Yeah, it wasn't right, but it was fun. He'd been roused from his slumber when the Elicoorian had slinked into his room. Well, what really woke him up was the door sliding open, not Albel himself.

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His behaviour is similar to that of a small child, Albel thought as he gazed at the Klausian.

"Worm," he tried again in a louder voice and Cliff muttered unintelligible sentences. "I'm not playing around. Get your ass up, or I'll have to force you."

"No," he mumbled, turning his body away from Albel, "just five more minutes…"

Albel scowled darkly and ripped the bed sheets off the Klausian, or well, tried to, anyway. The man tugged at the sheets, and somehow, slung Albel in the bed with him. The Elicoorian was enveloped in the Klausian's muscled arms, struggling to get free. Albel found to his horror that he was blushing as his head rested on Cliff's chest, and stopped struggling as he tried to stop blushing. Cliff was obviously a sleepwalker, because Albel knew very well that the Klausian didn't fancy other men.

"Thanks for my dog plush, mother," he muttered, snuggling Albel closer to him.

Ah, this was why Cliff loved his life. He'd gotten so well at his little act that he could overhear what he wouldn't have if he really were a heavy sleeper. He actually was an intelligent man, but he pretended to be oblivious for his own sanity. If he really ever showed his true intelligence, he might've actually been promoted to the leader of their team. He didn't want that at all. He liked not having to be relied on, to let other people take charge. That's why he agreed with Fayt's every decision back on Elicoor, not because he was too unintelligent to make his own choice, but because he didn't want to interfere with the little boy's hero development. Yeah, hero development…

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Dog plush? Albel wondered incredulously. _What's a 'plush'? Is he calling me a mutt!_

"Wait a sec," Cliff was muttering, running his fingers over Albel's artificial arm. "My plush doesn't have sharp points…" He opened his sapphire orbs and shouted when his eyes landed on Albel, but he didn't release him.

"I told you before, worm, to never touch me again," the Elicoorian spat, his blush only growing darker.

"Why are you in my bed?" Cliff interrupted him, still not releasing the Elicoorian.

"I'll answer if you take your filthy hands off of me," Albel shot back.

"My hands ain't filthy," Cliff said, not complying with Albel's request. "I'll let go of you once you answer my question."

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What the hell? Albel wondered as he stared at the man's chest. _Does he **like **being close to me, or something?_

"I asked you first, worm," Albel coolly said, tilting his head up to glare at Cliff, and his blush only darkened after he found that their faces were mere inches apart.

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Heh, Cliff thought. _Why doesn't he just quit the tough guy act?_

"Is everything okay in there, Cliff?" Nel's sleepy voice came from outside the Klausian's door.

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Oh great, Cliff thought sarcastically. _Just when I was getting somewhere…_

"Uh, yeah, everything's okay!" Cliff replied hastily. "I just had a nightmare, that's all!"

"Let go of me before she comes to check," Albel whispered to Cliff, not wanting anyone to witness the close proximity of their bodies.

"Is someone in there with you, Cliff?" Nel's suspicious voice grew nearer, and Albel closed his mouth, his blush redder than the crimson spurts of blood from his victims.

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Shit! Albel thought, struggling again in Cliff's strong grip.

"No," Cliff replied, not releasing the captive in his arms, "I had some music on."

"Oh, really?" Nel asked him, her voice sceptical. "What song's it?"

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Why does she have to ask what the damn song's called! Albel wondered crossly.

"Die," Albel mouthed to Cliff, who almost cracked up.

"Die," he replied.

"Oh?" she asked again. "Can I hear some of it?"

Albel's face went placid, and his eyes said "You've **got **to be _kidding_ me!" He gazed up at Cliff, hoping that he wouldn't agree. Unfortunately, the Klausian saw that this was his chance to get back at the Elicoorian for barging into his room. Cliff smiled widely at Albel, and the younger adult knew that the apocalypse was upon him.

"Sure," he replied, smiling at Albel's pissed-off expression.

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I know what game you're playing worm, Albel thought nastily, _and I won't let you get your enjoyment out of this…_

Albel knew exactly how to change his voice to something completely different and he didn't hesitate to use his guttural tone that he caught on to when listening to Nile (one of the best death metal bands on earth),

"_In the coldest region of this accursed world,_

the dead have risen.

They'll rip your body to shreds,

but who's to lead them?

Exactly,

who's to lead them but me?

We'll reclaim this land for Lucifer,

because we're all eager for his return."

"Fine," Nel said, "you can listen to your music… Just don't turn it up too loud. Some of us **are **trying to sleep, if you didn't know."

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It would have been nice if you'd stayed asleep, Cliff silently replied.

"Nice song," Cliff whispered into Albel's ear, using a tone so low that he could barely hear him.

"To answer your question," Albel ignored the complement and leaned up to Cliff's ear to whisper, "I was in your room because we have a mission to complete."

"That's today?" he whispered, his sapphire orbs widening.

"No," Albel replied sarcastically, "it's two years from now. The fool's been locked up until then."

"Tha-- humph!" Cliff shouted before Albel clamped his hand over the Klausian's mouth. "Humph? Humph!"

Albel glared acidly up at him, shaking his head quickly. "She still may be listening," he whispered. "Yes, the mission's today, maggot, and we should've been there by now."

Cliff released Albel, and the younger adult suddenly missed the warmth of the Klausian's body, but he climbed silently out of Cliff's bed without voicing any complaint. Cliff sat up on his bed, stretching out his arms the exact way as he did the day before, almost hitting Albel with one of his fists. Albel stealthily crept across the room to the door, leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest. Cliff glanced over at him and popped his neck before pulling on his shoes rather noisily. Albel rolled his scarlet orbs at the ceiling, wondering if Cliff knew the definition of the word "silence" at all.

"Well," Cliff said, "let's go!"

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How the rest of the crew is not awake, I do **not**_ know… _Albel thought sarcastically.

"Yes," Albel muttered, "and perhaps, we **could** do so without waking up the entire ship?"

Cliff blinked down at Albel, suddenly realising what he'd been doing. "Yeah," he said in a lower tone. "I forgot about that."

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It's difficult to keep up this oblivious act, Cliff thought, _but I have to, lest I have to tell everyone the truth._

Albel rolled his scarlet eyes at the blond. "I noticed," he whispered in reply and turned to face the sliding door, wondering to himself how he hadn't triggered it into opening when he'd been leaning on it earlier.

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…

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I am the menace in your eyes,  
the one you can't escape.- **Show No Mercy**, track 10 on **Slayer's **1983 release, **Show No Mercy**

Albel and Cliff were inside one of the emergency ships a few moments later. Albel was sitting as far away from Cliff as he could, staring lazily out of one of the windows at the boring scenery as Cliff piloted the ship. Albel was propping his head up with his artificial hand, his mouth curled into a marring scowl. The Klausian had insisted on bringing supplies, and he was sitting next to his backpack that was filled with medical items, like an emergency kit that held some verdurous potions, analeptics, aqua potions, basil, lavender, those kind of things. Cliff yawned a few times per minute (Damn it! Now I'm yawning!), and Albel would occasionally glance at him to make sure that he wasn't asleep. Albel was bored out of his mind, but he wasn't bored enough to talk to the Klausian, especially after that encounter earlier with him.

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Damn it, he thought as his eyelids began to droop. _I'm not letting my guard down with that Klausian around me…_

"I wish that I could put it on autopilot," Cliff muttered to himself, but Albel's acute hearing picked it up, "but the damn place is uncharted…"

"Bah," Albel grumbled. "I only know what it looks like… So that's why I'm watching… (He paused his speech to yawn.) We're close to it, so just continue the direction you're going, maggot."

"Got ya," the Klausian muttered, choosing not to argue with him. "Once we're there, the cold will wake us up, right?"

"It usually does," Albel replied grumpily, watching the area change below him.

"Good," Cliff said, ignoring Albel's sarcasm, "'cause I'm about to drift off and this baby's gonna drift down along with me…"

Albel scowled over at the Klausian before turning his attention back to the ground below them. _Permafrost? _he wondered silently. _Where have I seen that before?_

"We're right over it," Albel said in a monotone, leisurely climbing to his feet.

"Yahoo," Cliff said in a similar monotone that caused Albel to raise his eyebrows at him. "I'm gonna have some fun in a frozen wasteland…"

"I just hope that you don't actually consider this mission as _fun_," Albel said sourly. "For once, I hope that you use your miniscule brain and not drag me down."

Cliff rolled his eyes at the slightly shorter man. "I won't drag ya' down," he said, standing from his chair to stare him directly in the eyes. "You just better not do the same to me."

Albel scowled heatedly at him, his scarlet orbs narrowed dangerously. "Let's go," he growled, growing tired of talking to him.

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To be continued…

A/N: I actually had fun writing this… I thought that I'd hate writing a shonen-ai fanfic, but these two are complicated like Draco and Hermione, so it's fun to mess with them… Expect all the chapters to be at least three or more pages long, unlike my 20-page long chapters for my Draco/Hermione fanfics, because, like I said in my A/N in the first chapter, I'm sure as hell not used to this! **Edit part 5: **Okay, the three page thing's a lie. These chapters just seem to get longer as I continue the story. I can't help it!


	3. Part Three: Snowblindness and The Cave

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Two-faced

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Written by: Perpetual Thoughts and Meaning

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Disclaimer: Hmm… I'll list some of the many reasons why I couldn't have made these characters… One: Only a very smart 13 year-old could have thought of these characters if they were my age, and I'm not exactly the brightest crayon in the box, if you get what I mean. Two: Normally, people write fan fiction to satisfy their muse, which is what I'm doing. I don't want to be paid for my work just yet. Oh yeah, I'd really like to not be sued.

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Spoilers: A tiny one involving a certain dragon at the Urssa Lava Caves…

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Summary: Albel and Cliff are partners on a mysterious mission that involves having to wake Cliff up without being clobbered to death! Yeah, I know, it's not funny. Now that the filler chapter's out of the way, I can brave into the unknown waters of shonen-ai fan fiction with some steadiness and tense fingers… This chapter consists of Cliff and Albel working together (Kind of) to find shelter from a sudden snowstorm, and some joking around is involved as well. I won't go into detail, because I want someone to actually read the chapter. SHONEN-AI ALERT! SHONEN-AI ALERT!

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A/N: It isn't a filler chapter this time! Something important actually happens here! Yeah, I know, I'm weird. I hate these short chapters! In light of my hatred for these mini-sized chapters, I decided to lengthen this one up to five beautiful pages! Don't worry; it isn't going to be pointless like the last chapter.

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Rating: PG-13, because most thirteen year-olds can't write rated R things without having some experience, which I thoroughly lack. Oh, also for some language, but who gives a shit if they curse a little?

Replies to Reviews:

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Chasing Izanami: _Thank you so very much! You can't believe how relieved I am to hear that I got their personalities accurate. Yeah, I'm sometimes annoyed when people end every comment of Albel's with "worm" attached. I'm the kind of writer that knows that repeating the same thing over again will make the reader want to bang their head into their keyboard/want to go to another story. I tend to avoid my characters repeating the same insults repeatedly._

I have to agree; Albel and Cliff are far more entertaining than Albel and Fate. AlbelxFate is everywhere, and it's sickening. I'm a Draco/Hermione shipper, so I like the couples that aren't written about much, or the kind of couples that many people haven't considered thinking about. Fate's nice to everyone, and I loathe his character to shreds. If I could, I would've made Albel and Cliff the main characters of Star Ocean, and had Albel annihilate Fate before the game began.

Nothing to complain about, eh? That's more than enough to make me want to continue this story. I've written all the way to Part 4 without pausing, because I wanted to finish the story even if I didn't post it online. You've changed my mind. I was going to post this part much sooner, but I didn't save when I was writing, so when I was finished with this part and I pushed the save button, this part disappeared! I had to rewrite the entire thing after I finished bawling. I probably did better on my first try, but at least I didn't give up completely. I probably would've, if not your review.

Part 3: Snow-blindness/The Cave

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Sifting away the debris of hated life,  
cold touch of death begins to chill your spine…- **Postmortem**, track 9 on** Slayer's **1986 release, **Reign In Blood**

It seemed as if they were wandering an endless path of white, and the only colour that wasn't white was their protective gear. Albel was used to extremely cold temperatures, because he was Airyglyph's finest soldier, and as every body all the way to Klaus knew, Airyglyph was practically covered in ice all year. Cliff, however, only felt at home when he was aboard a spaceship, which normally wasn't even comparable to Airyglyph's conditions. Albel was catching up leisurely to Cliff, but he maintained his distance, his frigid scarlet orbs lingering on Cliff's bright sapphire ones when he glanced back at him. The younger adult's pink lips were lazily curling into a devious, egotistical smile.

"We need to take cover soon," Cliff yelled over the howling wind, facing his satanic companion, allowing him to catch up.

Once Albel was a few feet from Cliff, he tilted his head up so that he could stare sombrely into the Klausian's sapphire eyes, his smile transforming into his infamous Albel smirk. "Are you afraid that you'll be frozen, worm?" he disdainfully drawled.

"No," he objected, "it's just that it's freezing out here! I don't know about you, but I ain't gonna turn into an ice cube!"

Albel's smirk grew as Cliff crossed his muscular arms over his chest in an ineffective attempt to not shiver. "So," Albel drawled, "the worm **is **afraid!"

"I'm not!" shouted Cliff, his cheeks flushed by the biting wind.

"There's no sense in arguing," Albel impassively murmured to the blond. "I **do **agree with you about one thing however: we need to continue moving. I don't need some daft Klausian slowing me down."

Cliff sighed indignantly, running a hand through his bangs. "I must have the patience of a _sage _to deal with your shit," he grumbled, scowling down at Albel.

Albel eyed the Klausian with raised eyebrows before plodding past him through the thick snow. "Good day, worm," he glanced over his shoulder at him, and found that everything was white.

"Damn it!" Cliff's voice rang from somewhere in the sudden flurry of snow.

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Shit, Albel thought, realising that if he came back without Cliff that the crew would think that he eradicated him.

He felt a hand brush against his shoulder and he was again enveloped in the arms of the Klausian. "Now can we look for shelter?" Cliff asked him, turning the Elicoorian around to face him.

"Only until this storm ends," he replied disagreeably.

"We have to stay close to each other," Cliff said, his thin fingers lacing around Albel's wrist.

Albel shot at him, "What for? In case you haven't noticed, you abomination of a man, I detest you with the intensity of a thousand suns."

Cliff simply shrugged. "I have to admit that I don't _exactly_ like you either," he said truthfully, staring down at the Elicoorian, "but we have to stick together and outlast this damn storm. I don't really want 'Death by snowstorm' put on my death certificate."

"Hmm," the blond murmured nonchalantly, "it certainly seems that way to me. Perhaps you may want to start moving before we're buried in this snow?"

Cliff gaped down at Albel, taken aback that he finally got the former Black Brigade captain's consent. "Oh," he said absent-mindedly, "yeah, I should…"

Albel rolled his scarlet orbs, but chose not to comment on the Klausian's reckless manner and let him lead him through the blinding snow. Albel wondered why the **hell **they had chosen the mission to be **here **of all places. Mind you, he wasn't affected by the cold, but that Klausian was freezing his ass off. Albel's crimson orbs narrowed as he thought about the blond-haired ox. _That damn Klausian should be able to take care of himself, _he thought spitefully. _If he's so strong, then why am I faring better than he is? I wish that I'd just ditch him, but that damn maggot Zelpher had to remind the crew of my nature!_

"Hey, what's wrong, Albel?" Cliff's voice broke his train of thought.

Albel glanced up at the man who had his fingers wrapped around his wrist and rolled his scarlet orbs up at him. "How can you expect me to answer such an outrageous question? I'm used to these temperatures, fool!" he snarled in reply.

"Jeez, I was just askin'," muttered Cliff, his voice sounding wounded.

Albel eyed him critically. "You should just worry about yourself," he growled scathingly.

"Okay," Cliff whined, "okay, I get it! I ain't gonna ask you about your condition ever again."

"Maybe you **do **have more than rocks inside that cranium of yours," Albel drawled, startling the Klausian, "but I thoroughly doubt it."

"Man," he said, "and I believed for a second that you were actually giving me a complement!"

"Silence," Albel said quickly. "I see a cave up ahead."

"About time," Cliff said, hastening his stride, his grip on Albel's wrist loosening to the point that the unsuspecting Elicoorian had to catch himself before he fell.

Cliff smirked mischievously at the Elicoorian, noticing that the snowstorm was dying down. He could piss him off even more, and not have to worry about him getting hurt. He placed his backpack on the ground quietly and slid behind the younger man, but found himself pinned down to the snow-glazed grass by Albel even before he could reach his hands out to push him into the snow. He blinked his sapphire eyes up at him, taken aback. _Those are some fast reflexes, _the startled blond thought.

"I'd rather be sixty metres underground, encased in ice, than be around you," Albel snarled, his artificial arm's talons digging brutally into Cliff's shoulder blade.

"Then why are we partners on this mission?" Cliff asked him, unaffected by the Elicoorian's malicious glare, though his shoulder felt like it was being ripped from his body as if he was a toy.

Albel sighed, unexpectedly released Cliff, rolling off him, and sat crossed-legged on the snow. "I don't know why," he admitted, his voice low and coarse. "I just volunteered first, and I wasn't even thinking about you. I just needed to get away from those maggots… I was going to ditch you so that I could find somewhere to relax at, but that damn Zelpher ruined my plans."

"So," Cliff said, sitting up, eying Albel curiously, "you wanted a vacation."

"Exactly," the man replied, his scarlet orbs glazed over as he held his head in his normal hand, his artificial hand resting on his lap, "but this place is far from what I wanted it to be, and plus, you're still with me, maggot."

"I knew it," Cliff said, raking a hand through his matted blond locks, though his shoulder protested. "Even when I try to understand you, you call me names anyway!"

Albel glanced over at the Klausian, his lips curling into a small smirk. "We foes don't exactly converse on good terms," he murmured silkily.

Cliff shrugged his shoulders at the blond, again having to ignore the agonising ache of his right shoulder blade. "I don't consider you my foe," he said. "I just think of you as another part of the team, that's all."

Albel rolled his eyes at him and climbed to his feet, suddenly aware that he was being hospitable to the Klausian. "Enough of this nonsense," he icily drawled. "We need to continue moving. The snowstorm's subsided, and I can see the cave."

Cliff rose from the snow-glazed ground, brushed off his black pants, and slung his backpack over his left shoulder, nodding at Albel. "Yeah," he said, "now the only thing that we have to worry about is firewood and food."

"And something for your shoulder," Albel finished for him, starting his path toward the distant-looking cave.

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So, he did notice, Cliff thought, hastily catching up to Albel.

"You actually want to treat my injury?" he asked the rigid blond.

Albel quickly glanced over at him and then shook his head in reply, snow hitting Cliff like swift rain droplets. "No," he replied shortly.

"Am I supposed to heal myself, then?" he asked again, moving so that he was in front of Albel. "I don't think that you want to have the rest of the team on your ass when we come back with my arm in a damn sling."

"You could use a potion, fool," Albel pointed out for him, holding out a verdurous potion that he retrieved from somewhere in his light jacket.

Cliff accepted the potion with a startled expression upon his face and slipped the vial into his jacket pocket. "I don't know why I didn't think of that," he said when Albel pushed past him.

Albel snorted and muttered, "Fool…"

"I heard that," Cliff said as he caught up with Albel, walking beside him, no matter how much the thinner man hastened his pace.

"Congratulations," Albel muttered.

"I have a hunch that the cave's one of those boring ones full of rocks," Cliff grumbled.

"For your sake, you'd better hope that it isn't," Albel shot back at him. "It'd better be an underground cave like I think it is."

Cliff blinked down at Albel. "Yeah," he said drolly, "I'll go with what you think."

Albel rolled his scarlet eyes at the Klausian before averting his attention to his path. "It looks like I was right," he muttered after the cave was in full view.

"Yeah!" Cliff shouted, grinning from ear to ear.

Albel smirked over at him. "Much better than those hunches of yours, eh?" he muttered, his smirk arrogant as usual.

****

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The crippled youth try in dismay  
to sabotage the carcass Earth.  
All new life must perish below,  
existence now is futile.- **Hardening Of The Arteries**, track 7 on **Slayer's** 1985 release, **Hell Awaits**

Cliff watched the fire in boredom, his right shoulder feeling much better now that he'd drunk the verdurous potion that Albel had given him. _Maybe he isn't so bad, _Cliff thought, _but I could be wrong. His nickname _**is **_Albel the Twisted, after all. _No monsters seemed to be near the area Albel had chosen their camp to be at, which he was thankful. _Something just doesn't fit, _he thought. _He said something about how he could recognise-- of course! How could've I been so idiotic? He's obviously been here before!_

It's weird how he took charge like that, Cliff thought a few moments later as he watched the burning flames of the fire lick the wood.

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"Worms like you should stay put," Albel had said.

He'd wanted to help Albel, but he knew that he was too tired to do anything useful for him. He should've been asleep, hell, he should've been asleep an hour ago, but he felt like staying up until Albel returned. He didn't like the cave in the slightest. He had a strange feeling that he should wait for him; call it a hunch. Sure, sometimes his hunches were wrong, but this time, he was sure that he had to stay up.

"Took longer than I thought," a coarse voice broke his train of thought.

"Albel!" Cliff shouted, his eyes widening as the Elicoorian came into view.

Albel's dress (even though Cliff wouldn't call it that to his face) was drenched in blood. His exposed leg had deep scratches that looked like they hurt more than a little. He was unaffected by it, however, tossing Cliff a guard and a piece of what appeared to be of a monster. Cliff caught the items and furrowed his eyebrows at Albel, watching his unsteady footing. He placed his items on his jacket and stood up, facing Albel with a critical stare.

"The monsters here are more annoying than I remembered," Albel murmured, his scarlet orbs glazing over, his voice coarser than before. Cliff watched him carefully as he began to loose his footing and he moved forward just in time as he toppled over. "I didn't ask for your help," he muttered, but Cliff wasn't listening to him.

Albel's back was revealed by a cut in his clothing, or more like a scratch from a monster. Cliff scowled angrily at the wound, mainly angry with himself for letting Albel go out alone, and partially cross at Albel for allowing himself to be injured. The wound was more than probably the reason why Albel had lost his balance. He carefully carried the Elicoorian over to his sleeping bag, despite his weak protests. He finally wrenched the items out of his hands and placed them on his jacket.

"I think that we should find a different cave," Cliff said to Albel as he searched his backpack for his emergency kit.

Albel snorted, watching the Klausian with glazed over eyes. "Bah," he said.

"What the hell were you attacked by, anyway?" Cliff asked him as he pulled out bandages and a vial from the kit.

"Another nuisance," Albel replied, his eyelids drooping.

Cliff eyed him with furrowed eyebrows and roughly slapped him after much consideration. "You can't fall asleep with those injuries," he said.

"What?" Albel snapped, not listening to him.

"I can't risk you falling asleep and not waking up," Cliff replied seriously, ignoring Albel's glare.

Albel regarded Cliff with narrowed eyes. "I just want this damn day to be over with," he grumbled, watching Cliff warily.

"Lift your head up," Cliff said to Albel, who didn't comply.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"I need you to drink this potion to help your injuries from the inside," Cliff replied. When Albel still didn't raise his head, Cliff slipped a hand under his head, forced it up, and placed the vial to his lips. Albel finally agreed after realising that Cliff was going to help him, like it or not, and parted his lips, slowly swallowing the drink with his scarlet eyes on Cliff the entire time.

"Happy?" he asked, shoving the empty vial back at Cliff.

"No," Cliff replied, taking the vial and placing it back into the kit. "I still have to treat your wounds."

"Damn it," he muttered.

Cliff dipped a cotton ball into another vial the same green colour and ran it over the man's leg, not surprised when he heard him hiss in pain. Cliff sighed and wrapped Albel's leg with the bandage. He eyed Albel's crimson-caked chest before meeting the man's pointed stare with a smirk. He pulled up the top part of his odd outfit, and his smirk vanished. Albel's chest was marred with deep scratches and grotesque purple bruises, most of which fist-sized. Cliff raised his head to meet Albel's stare again and gave him a reprimanding expression, but Albel chose to break their eye contact and stare persistently away from him. Cliff scowled down at him before dabbing the scratches with the cotton ball, the man writhing in pain as the fluid burned away the infection.

"Fuckin' back," Albel muttered, but Cliff couldn't catch the rest.

"What?" Cliff asked, raising his stare to meet Albel's pained expression.

"Back," Albel muttered, and Cliff slapped him again. "My back! My fucking back's the worst of my injuries!"

Cliff blinked at him. "Huh?" he asked, though his voice had a teasing tone mixed within. "Do you actually **want **me to help you?"

"Just fucking patch it," he growled.

Cliff sighed again, placed his hands on Albel's shoulders, and gently turned him around. Cliff's eyes widened when they came across Albel's back. The wound was worse than he'd seen before, and it was fairly deeper than the others were. He knew that he couldn't use the normal vial without using the analeptic first, because the wound would be far too painful for Albel. The outer layers of the wound were beginning to cake over, but the inside was still oozing bright crimson liquid. Albel was lucky that it wasn't any deeper, because the area had been very close to his heart.

"Use the damned analeptic," Albel growled, unknowingly breaking Cliff's shocked stare from his wound.

"I know, I know," Cliff replied, running his calloused fingers over the vial of silver liquid.

He dipped a new cotton ball into the vial and gently dabbed it over Albel's deep wound. He could distinctly hear the muffled sound of a sigh from Albel under his sleeping bag, but chose to ignore it. He corked the vial and placed it into his kit. Then he used his other cotton ball and carefully ran it over Albel's deep cut, and didn't hear him hiss or see him writhe in pain. _Well, _Cliff thought, _that's a relief. _He finished by wrapping the man's upper part of his body with a large bandage, and returning his supplies to the emergency kit.

"Uh, Albel?" Cliff asked, wondering if the man was somehow dead, due to his lack of noise.

"What?" he snapped, as if he'd been falling asleep, and Cliff had interrupted his slumber.

"I was gonna say that you'd have my sleeping bag, seeing as you bled all over it," Cliff replied, staring away from him.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Albel asked him, his voice disdainful. "I realised that earlier."

Cliff sighed and held the meat that Albel had brought in his hands. He glanced over at the man who was staring away from him into space and then at the blazing fire. _I'll eat it tomorrow, _he decided, wrapping both of their pieces tightly in a cloth bag and stuffing them into his backpack. Meanwhile, Albel had crawled into Cliff's sleeping bag, and had finally pulled the zipper to his chest after a bit of struggling, his wounds protesting excruciatingly. Cliff slid into Albel's sleeping bag and zipped it up to his shoulders, glancing over at the Elicoorian briefly.

"Hey, Albel?" Cliff whispered over to him, making sure that he was awake.

Albel stirred, opening his scarlet orbs drowsily. "What?" he asked in a complaining tone, his eyebrows furrowed at the blond.

"'Night, Albel," he said softly, smiling weakly over at him before willing himself to close his eyes.

"Good night," Albel murmured, waiting until Cliff was asleep to continue hesitantly, "Fittir."

****

To be continued…

A/N: Okay, I know that Albel was OOC… Totally Out Of Character, ne? You may notice a difference between this chapter and my other two, because my damn computer deleted this part when I had everything perfect. I know that you guys don't care, but I was devastated. I was crying, which is something that I usually never do, and I kept on muttering, "It was perfect! Why did it have to…" It was one in the morning at that time and I had to hurriedly type down what I remembered of the chapter. What you just read isn't even comparable to my other version. I'm still a bit upset, but I can't do anything about it. Oh well, I'll get over it.


	4. Part Four: Albel the Mummy

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Two-faced

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Written by: Perpetual Thoughts and Meaning

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Disclaimer: Hmm… I'll list some of the many reasons why I couldn't have made these characters… One: My IQ is far too low to have allowed me to create these characters… Two: …If I was being paid for this, don't you think that I would be writing about my own characters? I do own the monster that clobbered Albel, though… I really don't need to be sued right now.

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Spoilers: I think so, yeah…

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Summary: Albel and Cliff are partners on a mysterious mission that involves having to wake Cliff up without being clobbered to death! Yeah, I know, it's not funny. Pretty much nothing in this chapter is important, unless you count some certain scenes… I wrote a flashback of Albel's battle with Spivak, because I felt like it. Cliff's trying to understand why Albel never expresses himself. Good luck, Cliff, I don't even understand Albel sometimes! **SHONEN-AI ALERT! SHONEN-AI ALERT!**

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A/N: Okay, this chapter's over five pages! There's more cursing in this chapter than the last two combined for some reason. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. I hope that the few people who are reading this don't care about the major curse-words, like shit, or fuck… Someone tell me if I should increase the rating to R for the excessive language. **Edit part 5: **I've given the monster a name, because I'm tired of typing the same thing again and again… _Kouryuuha_ means Dragon Roar, by the way…

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Rating: PG-13, because most thirteen year-olds can't write rated R things without having some experience, which I thoroughly lack. Oh, also for some language, but who gives a shit if they curse a little?

Replies to Reviews:

Death-Scimitar: _I'm glad that you think so! Yeah, you already said that my story was great, but I don't mind. I really put effort into getting their personalities right, so thank you for reassuring me! Yeah, I liked that part, too. Nah, I liked the ranting. Don't try to tease Albel too much; he might lose his temper and claw out your eyes. Then you wouldn't be able to read my story, and that would really be a shame! Albel: -He glares at the plush.- They didn't even make my claw right! -She takes the plush and cuddles it.- Meh like plush! -She grins insanely.-_

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Kodamy: _Whoa... Thanks... Hey, look, I'm updating! Whoot..._

Part 4: Albel the…Mummy!

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Prepare for attack.  
Your body will burn.  
Endless war,  
there's no return.  
Prepare for attack,  
death will arrive.  
Your orders are clear.  
No way to hide.  
Fight till death.- **Fight Till Death**, track 4 on **Slayer's **1983 release, **Show No Mercy**

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He was grinning as he dodged blow by blow of the monster's attack. He felt strange, as if he could read every move before the monster struck. He'd shout "Kouryuuha_" and deal some severe blows to the monster, but no matter how many times he used this move, the monster was still standing, even after the dragons took chunks out of him. _What the hell's with this guy? _he wondered, side-stepping another strike from the monster. _Why won't he fucking die! _Usually, Albel loved the thrill of battle, but this duel was beginning to grow old to him._

"Why do you continue to stand?" he drawled impatiently, staring critically at his foe.

He was fighting against a monster he'd never seen before, which was quite remarkable, since he had faced hundreds of different breeds of monsters when he'd travelled with the outsiders. He was human-like, but not at the same time. His face was paler than Albel's, and the blank yellow orbs were sometimes concealed by bright blue bangs. He donned a kimono that looked like it was made from a tough animal's skin, his feet were bare, but were scarred thoroughly. Albel knew that he was a monster, because his voice wasn't human, and his hands were talon-like, sharp and dangerous fingernails.

"My name is not 'you,' it is Spivak. Your attacks tickle," Spivak said, smiling mysteriously up at Albel, the icy blue bangs covering his eyes, "and your blows are not strong enough."

"Not strong enough!" he incredulously shouted, his normal hand balled into a tight, white-knuckled fist. "You're the one to talk! I can dodge your blows all day if I wanted to!"

"My, my," Spivak drawled, "how defensive you are… Not to mention cockier than a king… Tell me, why do you think so highly of yourself? If you were smart enough, you would see that I was holding back."

Albel growled angrily, "I don't reveal anything to the enemy. If you were more aware of who I am, then you'd fucking stop holding back."

"Touché_," Spivak said. "Fine, but do not blame me when your head is not attached to your shoulders after this duel, Albel the Twisted."_

Albel was about to snarl a nasty retort when Spivak's body began to glow a bright red. He lifted the Crimson Scourge over his scarlet eyes, unknowingly leaving himself open. He felt sharp talons digging into his chest as he was pinned to the floor. He regained his sense of reality and slashed blindly at Spivak with his blade, successfully causing him to release him and jump to his feet. Albel growled deeply, glaring up at his opponent. Spivak's skin was redder than Albel's bleeding chest, but not because of blood. His kimono was torn and blue-coloured markings dotted his body. His talons had doubled in length and now he had four arms instead of two. Albel climbed quickly to his feet, resuming a defensive stance.

"So, this is your true form?" he drawled, his smirk malicious.

Spivak responded by raising his arms into the air, muttering in a language unfamiliar to Albel. Albel rushed towards him, his talons stretched out on his artificial hand, and the Crimson Scourge aimed for Spivak's heart with his other hand. He was knocked back by tri-coloured blasts from Spivak's mouth, and his Crimson Scourge flew out of his grasp. Shit, _he thought, but continued charging at Spivak, this time dodging the blasts by swiftly stepping out of their way when they were a few feet away from him. He clawed at Spivak's face, causing him to make a swipe of his own back at him, and the blow struck his back. He darted back to his sword, glaring at Spivak as he dodged every blast easily. His back was beginning to throb painfully and he felt abnormally drained. What the hell was going on here?_

"Are you ready to give up?" Spivak asked in a mocking voice. "You're losing badly."

Albel's lips curled back as he snarled, "Fool! I'm only beginning to tap into my full power!"

Spivak smirked arrogantly at him and began to float, his callused feet hovering a few feet above the cave floor. His hands were laced together, two pairs, one glowing an icy blue, the other a bright crimson. Albel began charging up for his next attack, his body glowing a brighter scarlet than his bloody chest as he reached out his artificial arm, his crimson orbs glazed over. Spivak continued to smirk before bowing his head, unlacing his hands, four tri-coloured orbs now held in his palms. Albel shouted his move's name as Spivak fired his orbs at him, and their attacks collided with another, creating a blast that sent Albel flying back into the cave wall. Albel winced in pain, watching the smoke clear for any sign of his opponent. He climbed to his feet, the Crimson Scourge held tightly in his normal hand, his artificial hand supporting him against the wall.

"Nice duel, but I am afraid that you are too injured to continue," Spivak's voice came from somewhere in the smoke.

"What the fuck are you talking about!" Albel roared. "I can still fight!"

"I am afraid not," the apathetic drawl sounded like Spivak was everywhere around him. "Maybe next time, boy."

Albel's scarlet orbs widened in anger and he dropped his blade. He growled and fell to his knees, scraping his leg against his own Crimson Scourge, and began hitting the cave floor with his normal hand, his head bowed. He was in so much pain, but he knew that he could still fight that pompous piece of shit. He'd show him that he was stronger than he thought, and more! Damn it, he'd get his revenge, even if that Fittir had to fight with him!

****

…

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Simple smiles elude psychotic eyes,  
lose all mind control rationale declines.- **Dead Skin Mask, **track 5 on **Slayer's **1990 release, **Seasons In The Abyss**

Albel groaned as something warm brushed against his lips. His scarlet eyes fluttered open and he saw Cliff standing over him, poking a piece of fried meat at his mouth. Albel tried to sit up too quickly, and Cliff forced him back down, silently shaking his head. _What the hell happened yesterday? _he wondered as he became aware of his back aching in pain. He glanced down at his torso and saw that under Cliff's sleeping bag, it'd been bandaged tightly. Wait a second, why was he in Cliff's sleeping bag?

"Ah, shit," he muttered, and Cliff smirked widely at him.

"It comin' to ya' yet?" Cliff asked him after he had grudgingly accepted the meat.

Albel eyed him warily before he took a bite out of the meat. "In fragments," he said between bites.

"Damn!" Cliff said, watching Albel devour the meat. "You hungry enough, Albel?"

"In case you _failed_ to realise," Albel began as he finished the meat, "we didn't eat **anything** yesterday, since someone wanted to make me into a mummy."

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At least he has some_ sense of humour today, _Cliff thought sarcastically.

Cliff laughed and shook his head at Albel. "Nah," he teased, "you're too fussy to be a mummy. Mummies usually don't gobble up meat like you do, either."

Albel attempted to sit up, but this time, his muscles wouldn't allow him to move more than an inch before he fell back. "Damn it," he grumbled. "I need to start looking for something to eat."

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Does he even realise what he's saying? Cliff wondered, a smile curling the corners of his lips upward.

Cliff raised his eyebrows at Albel and began to chuckle. "Even when you're on your last legs you still want to rush off into danger!" he began to cry, thoroughly aggravating Albel.

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Last legs! Albel thought crossly. _I'll show that damned, arrogant Klausian!_

"I'm **not **on my last legs!" Albel shouted and tried to sit up again, but only succeeded in triggering his back to ache worse.

Cliff ruffled his black and platinum blond hair with a smile. "You can't move around and you know it," he said in a sympathetic voice that Albel hated. "I'm gonna take care of ya' until ya' can move around again, okay? Then, we're gonna-- wait a second, I didn't even hear what the mission involved. Why are we out here, anyway?"

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It took him this _long to realise that? _Albel wondered, forcing back a laugh.

"Daft, aren't you?" Albel asked, smirking at his annoyed expression. "Think about what's happened thus far and make your **own **conclusion."

"Damn it, Albel! You know that wasn't what I meant!" he grumbled, sitting down next to his sleeping bag.

"Just _think_ about it for a second," Albel murmured, his lips curling into a small smile. "Why do you think that the details of the mission were never given, worm?"

"Because there weren't any," Cliff muttered, but Albel shook his head.

"No," Albel replied, "**this **is our so-called mission. Our foolish actions formed its existence."

Cliff eyed Albel, his face written in confusion. "What are you saying?" he asked, his eyes settling on Albel's blank face.

"The mission was to be decided by our actions," Albel continued. "Since I'm now Albel the Mummy, our mission is to survive this cave and get back to the ship without the other crewmembers having any idea what we did, only that we were out on a mission. Sounds a bit complicated, eh, maggot? Well, I'm not the kind of person who likes to sit around and do nothing, so I won't weigh you down, if that's what you're thinking."

"This is _crazy_," Cliff said, holding his head in his hands, staring at the roof of the cave, watching as the water droplets fell softly to the cave floor.

Albel tried to shrug, but his shoulders protested bitterly. "It **depends** on how you look at it," he replied, staring over at the Klausian with a mysterious glint in his eyes. "You could see this as a way to improve your weaknesses, or you could complain about how you have to endure my company. I'm not exactly happy being wrapped up like a Christmas gift either, if you didn't know."

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He might be right on the perspective thing, Cliff thought. _I haven't been exercising as much anymore, either… What the hell? "Like a Christmas gift?" How does he even know about Christmas? Ah, never mind that now, there's more important things to think about, like what we're gonna eat later today! I don't want to turn to cannibalism to solve my hunger…_

"Couldn't we just go back to the ship and have you healed there?" Cliff asked, still trying to understand the situation. "When do we have to return, anyway? And how do we know when we can return?"

"No," Albel replied, "because you probably wouldn't want to explain why I look like a pre-mature mummy. We can probably return once I can walk, and we'll know once the time is right."

Cliff sighed and met Albel's stare with a hopeless expression. "What if I come across that monster that made you look like you went through a paper shredder?" he asked, fearful for the answer.

"I don't know," he replied, his voice eerily foreboding. "It'll be up to you if **that **happens."

Cliff glared at Albel, his lips pursed into a dark scowl. "You could at least _try_ to be helpful," he whined. "You aren't even grateful for what I did last night!"

Albel snorted, smirking painfully up at the blond. "I was _fine_, worm," he drawled.

Cliff scowled down at him, propping his head up with his left hand. "Why can't you just admit it?" he asked, leaning down to glare directly into Albel's scarlet eyes. "You would've been a rotting corpse _hours_ ago if I hadn't patched you up!"

Albel merely raised his black eyebrows up at the blond. "There isn't _anything_ to admit," he stonily stated. "I'd rather be decapitated than be around you."

Cliff bent down closer to Albel, not breaking their intense stare. "What was that sound that you made last night when I was spreading the analeptic over your back?" he whispered, smirking at Albel's irritated expression.

"You're hearing things," growled Albel, too stubborn to break their eye contact. "The insane often experience such."

Cliff continued to lean closer to Albel until he could feel the man's breath tickling his green Klausian 'tattoo.' "Right," he murmured, his smirk growing. "You should _really_ talk, Albel."

Albel's stomach lurched when his name rolled off Cliff's tongue. His crimson orbs narrowed when he realised how close they were. _What's that damn Klausian doing? _he wondered warily, his pink lips pursed into a dark scowl. He hated his heart's rapid pounding as he continued to glare into Cliff's deep azure orbs. _What the hell's happening to me? _he wondered crossly.

"Oh, so you're _all_ talk, then?" he drawled frigidly, smirking challengingly up at Cliff, his face about four inches from his own. "How, then, am I insane, worm?"

__

If he were able to move, then I wouldn't tell the truth, Cliff thought. _Man, I'm so lucky that he's immobilised right now. Should I tell the truth? He may get me back later… Oh well, I'll take a chance._

Cliff raised his eyebrows at Albel, humour evident in his sapphire eyes. "Well," he began, "that skirt of yours… What the hell's _with_ that, anyway? And another thing, your attitude toward everything… You act as if you're the mightiest warrior, but just look at you now… You're all wrapped up in bandages…" He ran a finger over Albel's bare chest, his eyes possessing a predatory gleam. "Now you're vulnerable to _any_ attack..."

Albel swallowed, but didn't break their stare. "It's easier to dodge blows in these garments. I could destroy you **easily** if I wanted--" He was cut off by Cliff's hand covering his mouth.

"You talk too much," he said, moving so that his body obscured Albel's lean frame. His hand slid from Albel's mouth to under his chin and forced his face up to press his lips against Albel's.

Albel attempted to struggle, but his wounds protested again. His crimson orbs widened with disbelief, strange sensations creeping their way into his body. He felt Cliff's hand slide behind his head and pull him closer, and he heard his heart speed up. He hadn't even kissed or come near kissing anyone before, and he felt his cheeks burning because of this fact. He couldn't fight back, but that didn't mean that he had to enjoy it. The situation altered, however, when Cliff parted his lips and his tongue invaded Albel's mouth, he couldn't ignore the overwhelming tremble of his stomach as their tongues danced. Just as Albel was getting into the kiss, Cliff pulled away, smirking down at Albel's frustrated expression. Albel had never felt so torn in his life. He wanted to kill Cliff and start kissing him again.

"You can't tell me that you didn't like that," he murmured, smiling gently down at Albel, his eyes half-lidded.

"Bastard," Albel growled, his scarlet orbs glazed over in lust. "I loathed every _second_ of it."

"Damn it," Cliff said, but didn't appear bothered. "I guess that it's one-sided, then?"

__

Not even close, Albel wanted to say.

"As one-sided as it gets," Albel hissed, pulling Cliff's face to his with his artificial hand.

Compared to the last kiss, Albel's stomach exploded when their lips met. Every ache had been forgotten as their tongues battled for dominance, Albel's mind screaming at him, _What're you doing! _His arms were wrapped around the Klausian's neck, his normal digits tangling through his soft blond hair. Cliff had unzipped the sleeping bag and pulled Albel roughly against him, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Albel's wounds protested violently again, causing Albel to groan into the kiss. Cliff broke the kiss again, gazing curiously down at Albel.

"What the hell was that, then?" he asked softly, his smirk growing.

"Damned… wounds," growled Albel, his fingers tightening around his hair. "Don't get any perverted ideas about me, maggot."

Cliff winced. "I might've actually believed you," Cliff murmured. "Do you even know what 'one-sided' means, Albel?"

__

Damn, Albel thought. _Why does he have to say my name like that?_

"I'm not lying," he said, his gaze locked with Cliff's in a fiery stare. "You're touching one of my wounds."

Cliff sighed, released him slowly, and sat down next to him again. Albel stared up at him, a bit disappointed, but at the same time relieved. He didn't know where they were going in the kisses, and he didn't want to know, either. He was startled that he actually liked it, and he silently cursed Cliff for the new emotion. He zipped up the sleeping bag to his waist, scowling away from Cliff.

"_Now_ what?" Cliff asked him, staring down at him with confusion in his cobalt eyes.

__

How can he ask such a thing after what we did? Albel wondered to himself, his heart still beating fast.

Albel switched his heated stare from the wall to Cliff, his scowl deepening. "We've **wasted** our time… We could've been discussing how we're going to survive this place," he said, his scarlet orbs spiteful, "but you had to do that…"

"So," Cliff said, "you really didn't like it? Damn…"

Albel glared up at him. "You practically **forced** yourself on me," he growled. "What _else_ was I supposed to do? If I could've fought back, I would've!"

"You started the second kiss," Cliff said, smiling casually down at him. "That must've meant that you liked the first one."

Albel stared away from him, his heart pounding at the sight of Cliff's smile. "I didn't mean to," he said with an almost non-existent blush colouring his cheeks. "I wasn't thinking properly."

Cliff's hand brushed against his cheek and forced his face near his. "I suppose that we both weren't thinking," he said, his smile turning grim. "I might have to change your bandages, plus, I have to kill some monsters for food. It's gonna be a _long_ day for the both of us."

Albel scowled at him. "Perhaps your insanity is contagious," he muttered. "My only choice is to rely on you, and I fucking hate it. I hate letting my life be determined by another person's carelessness. You'd better not die or leave me here to **rot** Fittir, or I swear, I'll haunt--"

Cliff silenced him with a brief kiss, shaking his head at him after they parted. "I can't leave ya'," he said. "Remember? If I show up without you, the crew will think I murdered you, or something. Besides, my damn conscience wouldn't allow me to leave you behind."

"I want to make sure, though," Albel said, his frosty eyelashes partially covering his even icier scarlet orbs. "Give me an extra dose of the analeptic, because I'm coming along with you."

Cliff scowled at him, but knew that once Albel had his mind decided about something, that he would do whatever it took to do it. "Fine," he said, pulling out the emergency kit from his backpack, "but I'm _only_ doing this because I know that you'll find some way of coming along even if I don't allow you to. I can't risk you getting even more banged up."

__

If I didn't know any better, Albel thought, _I might actually believe that he gave a shit about me._

Albel only grunted, staring into space as Cliff searched for the analeptic.

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…

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To be continued…

A/N: Okay, I think that this chapter was pointless fluff, but whatever… It was my first attempt at fluff with these two as the characters, so give me a break! They are fun to mess with, though… In fact, they're almost more entertaining to write about than Draco and Hermione! Of course, I won't like them more than my favourite couple DM/HG, but I'll admit, it's so fun to mess with their psyches, especially Albel's.

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Extra note: Anyone heard of this band called Gizmachi? They're good and I love their song Wandering Eyes. I may include an insert from it in the next chapter if I bother to look up the lyrics. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a rabid Slayer fan. Slayer's kick ass, and if you think otherwise, then I don't want your review. Slayer's the fuckin' shit, and if they're too heavy for you, then you haven't heard the deathy Cattle Decapitation. Anyway, for those of you that **are **metal-heads such as myself, why don't you e-mail me sometime, and we could talk about thrash, black metal, death metal, anything about our favourite music genre! I'll answer any e-mail, via ShadowsshadowSha at AOL dot com. Just replace the spelled out stuff with their proper symbols and you'll be all set! **Edit chapter 5: **No e-mails? Damn! Here in Europe, metal isn't an underground genre, but my readers might be Americans, which decreases my chance for any kind of relation with you guys. Damn it, I like to talk to my readers! Great, now I'm sounding desperate… Damn it, are there any metal-heads at this site at all! Haven't you people ever heard of Fleshcrawl, Malevolent Creation, Brutal Truth, Behemoth, Bloodbath, Nasum, Immolation, Mayhem, Today Is The Day, Suffocation, Mortician, Cephalic Carnage, Cannibal Corpse, Gorerotted, Darkthrone, Nile, Pyrexia, Vader, Torture Killer, Diabolic, or even Skinless! Well, well! Congrats to the people who actually read this A/N, you've wasted five or six minutes of your so-called life reading my shitty thoughts…


	5. Part 5: Dead Smart prt I

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Two-faced

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Written by: Perpetual Thoughts and Meaning

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Disclaimer: Hmm… I'll list some of the many reasons why I couldn't have made these characters… One: I think that the creator of these two would have the decency to make them IC and submit their work somewhere that they would be paid… Two: I'm running out of ideas… Erm, pie? -She's pummelled by tomatoes.- Okay, okay! I can't own them because… Um, because… -The crowd _boo_s her.- I can't own them, because everyone hates me! -Cricket, cricket.- I knew it! Oh, yeah, being sued isn't on my nonexistent list of Things To Do now. -She wanders off to her cramped bathroom to wash the tomatoes out of her hair and metal attire.-

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Spoilers: Yes… They aren't major, but they explain some stuff you wouldn't have known otherwise if you'd just started playing Star Ocean.

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Summary: Albel and Cliff are partners on a mysterious mission that involves having to wake Cliff up without being clobbered to death! Yeah, I know, it's not funny. I'll just go right ahead and tell you: Albel's getting his revenge in the next chapter! Isn't that exciting? -Cricket, cricket.- … FINE! NO SHONEN-AI FOR YOU! -She grumbles and stomps off, her pride severely wounded.-

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A/N: Aren't you happy that I **finally **updated? It just seems like these chapters get longer and longer, eh? Okay, I'll shut up, because no one gives a shit about what I have to say. I just wanted to apologise for taking so long to update. I've had this chapter playing through my head, but I just never bothered to write it down, because I was away from my computer at the time. I'd written down somewhere what was going to happen, call it a rough outline, and it didn't even look like what you're about to read. Damn it! Why can't my chapters be planned out like the real writers'! Whatever… While writing the last page I was on caffeine, so, they may be a bit OOC… Damn you, Dr Pepper, damn **you**!

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Rating: PG-13, because most fourteen year-olds can't write rated R things without having some experience, which I thoroughly lack. Oh, also for some language, but who gives a shit if they curse a little?

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Replies to reviews:

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Kodamy: _Heh, glad to see that you enjoyed it…_

It was hell writing it, but if someone actually liked it, then I can reap the fruits of my work…

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Death-Scimitar: _Heh, I wouldn't have if I hadn't have written this story… Yeah, I have to admit, that's one of Albel's best attributes. Thanks. Wow, a coherent review… I did? Oh, I updated! Your scimitar might not be able to deflect Albel's blows with his Crimson Scourge, but hey, it's your career… Hey, tell me if you write a fic about them, because I need inspiration dreadfully. Heh, thanks for the comment! _Ja ne!

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EvilEatingSanta: _Okay, that's nice to know… Yay? Thanks. I take that "_VUNDAFOOL"_ means "wonderful", so yay for me. But…But I have continued! You like the monster that I made up, eh? Or does 'vat' mean 'bad' or 'what'? Yeah, Albel's getting his revenge all right, but in a different way than he ever imagined… Heh, writing now, mashhtaaah!_

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Chasing Izanami: _Thanks. Well, some authors like to hear "Good Job" often, but some, like me, prefer their reviews to have the "Good Job" comment, and why the reader liked the story they said was great. Crud indeed._

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Yeah, I felt the same when I wrote Part 4. A little voice deep inside me was complaining that I never made my DM/HG fics this quick, so why should I write a shonen-ai _fic of all things so fast? I still regret making such a rush in their "relationship," -She pauses to cough for a few moments.- but I can't change it now, because it influences one of Albel's actions in this Part/Chapter. I'm making this story a short one, anyhow, so I suppose it'll be okay once I'm finished…_

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Fluffymadness: _Heh, thanks for liking this along with my other kick-arse and totally awesome reviewers. Really, I appreciate it when you guys take the time to review my work. It makes my hobby so worthwhile. Yeah, they really do make a sweet couple. I have 277 hits on this fic, yet only 8 reviews… Isn't that wrong?_

Part 5: Dead Smart part I

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Here comes the pain,  
you're no different from the rest.  
Victim is your name in my vicious wasteland.  
Here comes the pain,  
your destruction manifests,  
lying there broken looking up as I still stand. **Here Comes The Pain**, track 12 on **Slayer's **2001 release, **God Hates Us All**

Albel hadn't said anything since they had began their search for food. He probably was still pissed off about the kisses from earlier. The guy was so detached and despised admitting anything, and Cliff hated it. _Why can't he just say how he feels? _Cliff wondered as he paused to rest, leaning against the cool cave wall. Albel merely sat down a few feet away from him, his face buried in his hands. _What's he so afraid of? Rejection? _Cliff laughed at the thought, raking a hand through his bangs. _Nah, _he thought. _He just probably likes to keep to himself. _Yeah, that's more like Albel. He'd rather kill himself than show any other emotion that wasn't hatred.

Sometimes, he thought that the guy had blood lust, or something… His eyes always had an odd sparkle in them when they were fighting monsters. Of course, this sparkle only showed itself when their opponents were 'worthy,' as he called them. Otherwise, his eyes remained cold and blank when they had run-ins with the 'worms.' Cliff had realised this early on when they were back on Elicoor II, during their trials through the Urssa Lava Caves. Something in his eyes seemed to come alive when they were fighting, as if he _actually_ had a soul under all his armour. Of course, Cliff didn't believe in such nonsense, but he couldn't help but wonder what was going through Albel's head in all those blood-ridden battles. Perhaps he was thinking of his next move, or perhaps he wasn't thinking at all, merely focusing all his energy on the fight before him. The guy was so easy to read sometimes, but mostly, the guy was like a blank slate; unreadable and difficult to comprehend. If only he could pierce the depths of Albel's angst-ridden mind for just a moment, maybe he'd be able to understand him much better. Or he might find something that he didn't want to, which often discouraged him from such thoughts.

The guy was insane, there was no other way around it. There was a certain aria, a weird energy around him, if you will, that just made Cliff want to stop in his tracks and absorb it. He wanted to grasp its meaning, to finally know what it was about Albel that was just so peculiar. He wanted to know what it was about Albel that was different and so intriguing. That's what first made him interested in Albel and what inspired his goal to break the inflexible swordsman's shell and find out what made him tick. He hadn't ever been curious about anyone as much as he was about Albel. Everyone else he knew were either dull, or too easy to crack. Albel, however, wasn't one to break easily, which peaked his curiosity in him even further.

Cliff doubted that Albel would ever allow him to kiss him again, which really was a shame. He might've taped into the complicated psyche of Albel the Twisted, and he was certain that Albel enjoyed the kisses as much as he did. The pigheaded man hadn't said it, but he'd kissed him back, which was better than nothing, right? Cliff stared into space as he let his thoughts linger on Albel, his lips pursed into a contemplative scowl. _If only Albel wasn't so damn difficult, _he thought, lacing his fingers together. He knew he wouldn't be able to understand Albel any time soon, but he was a patient man. After all, he **had** put up with Fayt's clumsiness, so what excuse did he have for Albel? Yeah, he'd wait, no matter how long it took.

"We might want to start moving," Albel murmured, breaking his train of thought.

Cliff nodded over at him and they stood, Albel not bothering to catch up to him. "Are you okay, though? No aches, everything's normal?" he asked, examining him thoroughly.

"I'm fine," he snapped, scowling heatedly at him. "If you ask me that question every time we stop on this journey Fittir, you'll regret it."

"Well," Cliff said, "it's just that you're not the type to tell me if anything hurts. You're prideful."

__

Bastard, telling me shit that I already know… Albel thought grumpily to himself.

Albel rolled his eyes at him and unhurriedly began walking toward him. "Listen," he growled acidly, sending shivers down Cliff's spine, "I'll tell you if I'm too weak to go on, got it?"

Cliff swallowed and nodded, a bit disturbed at the gleam in Albel's scarlet eyes. "Got ya'," he replied.

Albel eyed him critically, his scowl darkening. "You lead. I'll help if I feel like it, but otherwise, you're on your own," he drawled, tilting his head up so that he could stare into his azure orbs commandingly.

Cliff nodded again, smirking down at Albel. "I don't have a problem with that at all," he said, turning around and walking leisurely ahead.

__

If we run into that monster, Albel thought edgily, _then we'd better be ready, because I won't let myself be killed, especially by that freak of nature._

Albel decided as he followed Cliff that he **did **want to face Spivak again. He felt the thirst for vengeance flowing through his veins, his lips curling into a sadistic smile. Oh, that freak would pay dearly for what he said, and more! Albel couldn't wait to get his claws (okay, only one hand has claws, but whatever) on him and take care of that menace once and for all… He just hoped that Cliff wouldn't get in his way or say that he couldn't fight, because he was going to fight anyway, even if Cliff told him to stay low. Why should he have to follow his orders, anyway? Who the hell made **him** captain, huh? Yeah, he was Albel the Twisted, and he'd do whatever the hell he wanted, regardless of what Cliff told him to do.

"What do you say that we take a little rest on those rocks?" Cliff asked, breaking Albel's train of thought.

Albel glanced over toward the rock formation that Cliff was talking about. The rocks had been arranged that they created a sort of stairway, only the path ended near the ceiling of the cave. "Are you tired already?" Albel retorted, smirking when Cliff turned around to face him.

"I was thinking about **you**, not me," Cliff said, scowling down at him. "I was worried that you were tired. We've been walking for a while."

Albel rolled his eyes, but his stomach fluttered at his sincerity. "I told you that if I was tired that I'd tell you," he drawled. "I feel as fine as I did when you asked me the last time we stopped to rest."

Cliff sighed and nodded, raking a hand through his bangs. "Yeah," he said, "it's just that I don't know if I can trust you. You're not the kind of person who admits anything to anyone, Albel."

Albel shrugged, staring up at him, his smirk faltering. "Nonetheless," he drawled, "you should believe me when I promise such things. If you don't trust me, then how can I possibly trust you?"

__

He's right, Cliff thought.

Cliff nodded again, staring down at Albel. "Yeah," he replied, "I see what ya' mean. I guess I can start trusting you."

Albel raised his eyebrows at Cliff, his face blank as usual. "You guess?" he asked silkily, his eyelids covering his scarlet orbs partially.

"Ah, fine," said Cliff, smiling down at Albel. "I'll promise to trust you if you trust me from now on. Deal?" He held out his hand for Albel to shake.

Albel eyed his hand for a short moment before grudgingly shaking it. "Deal," he drawled with a small smirk. "I still have to insist that you not worry about me."

Cliff's smile grew and Albel ignored the flutter of his stomach. "I'll try," he said, "but I can't really make any promises. I really can't risk you getting even more injured than you already are."

Albel rolled his scarlet orbs up at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah," he said, "whatever. Just promise me that you'll try, all right?"

Cliff shrugged, his smile growing. "I'll try," he said. "I promise."

Albel eyed him passively before wandering over to the rocks and sitting down on the lowest 'step.' "You'd better," he muttered under his breath, his crimson eyes glassy.

"So, you wanna rest after all?" Cliff asked him, walking slowly toward him, their eyes locked in a fierce stare.

Albel raised his head and tilted the inky black bangs from his scarlet eyes, his lips pursed into a contemplative scowl. "You seemed intent on doing so," he drawled, "so why not?"

Cliff shrugged again, stopping when he was a few feet in front of Albel. "Just asking," he replied. "Ya' don't have to be so defensive all the time. It's like you take every other comment of mine as an insult."

Albel's crimson eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a murderous scowl. "What else am I supposed to think?" he snarled. "I can't let my guard down in this cave. If I do, then we both might find our lives abruptly cut short, got me?"

"I am afraid that you are too late for that," a hazily familiar voice hissed from the ceiling.

Albel and Cliff's heads both snapped up, Albel's fangs bared, and Cliff instantly acquired a defensive stance with his fists raised in front of him.

"Who the hell's that guy?" Cliff asked Albel, who didn't spare him a glance. "A friend of yours?"

Albel snorted. "As if," he said darkly. "That cretin's the same **scum** that almost ended my life yesterday, and I mean to sever him to only bloody shreds!"

"Hold on," Cliff said as Albel stood up. "You can't face that, er, monster in your condition! Just leave your revenge to me, okay? I'll let you deal the killing blow, if you want."

Spivak smirked widely, watching the two with his arms crossed over his chest. "I could have killed you both by now," he drawled, breaking their intense stare.

Albel growled and his artificial arm lingered dangerously close to his Crimson Scourge's scabbard. "The only thing that I hate more than Klausians is an arrogant scum-bag!" Albel shouted, surprising Cliff and causing the monster to chuckle. "What? Are you _finally_ realising that this time only one of us will leave the battlefield!"

Spivak floated down to the floor, his smirk widening. "You do realise that you are predicting that you and your companion will die in this battle?" he drawled, aggravating Albel thoroughly.

"Why you piece of--"

Cliff shook his head at Albel, cracking his knuckles at Spivak. "Like I told you," Cliff said to Albel, "I'm gonna the one givin' this monster a poundin'!"

"Hmm," Spivak drawled. "Just give it your best shot."

Albel scowled and sat back down, his thin jet-black eyebrows furrowed over his gleaming scarlet orbs. _ He'd just better not get his ass kicked, _Albel thought, watching Cliff critically. Cliff seemed to be guessing what he'd been thinking, because he met his piercing stare with one of his own. Albel's scowl darkened, but he didn't break their stare. Cliff nodded lightly down at him before facing Spivak, grinning widely.

"Are we just gonna stand here, or are we gonna brawl?" he asked arrogantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

__

Now **that's **more like it, Albel found himself thinking.

Spivak shook his head at Cliff, his mouth curled into a haughty smirk. "Impatient ones such as yourself **always **die first, because they always race into battle unprepared," the creature stated coolly. "Do you long for death badly enough that you shall let your foolish emotions control you?"

"What did you say to me?" Cliff asked incredulously. "Are you sayin' that I'm overzealous when it comes to fighting!"

__

Even I _know that, _Albel thought. _He always rushes into danger, without planning ahead, which I've only done once, when they had appeared at my base in Kirlsa the second time._

"Exactly," he replied. "Often the impatient underestimate their opponent as well. Such is a costly mistake, because often their opponent is much stronger than they are."

Albel's scarlet eyes widened before narrowing in malice. "Are you saying that **you're **a better fighter than him, you pompous worm!" Albel barked, desperately wanting to slice him open with his claws.

Cliff's eyes widened in realisation before he regained control of his over-pouring thoughts. _That arrogant piece of shit! _was one of the better thoughts. The situation hit Albel and he masked his face. He realised then that he'd been defending the dumb arsed, pig-headed, lame excuse of a… Fittir--, er, Klausian. What the hell was he doing, standing up for him, as if he actually thought that he fought well? Sure, the guy was strong, but he was so damned irrational! He couldn't understand the rage growing inside him when he heard Spivak's mocking words, because he knew that he could care less about what people thought of the Klausian. So what the hell was this strange feeling, then? It was as if a savage beast had been unleashed into his veins, suddenly controlling every thought and impulse. The feeling grew from his stomach in heavy waves of which he knew wasn't hunger, but something else entirely.

Spivak shrugged. "Not really," he replied, "because I have not seen him in action yet… Seeing as he is tagging along with you, however, I can make a safe bet that he is probably just as weak as you are."

"What kind of bet is that!" Cliff shouted, taking the monster by surprise. "Honestly, your means of logic are worse than mine! To assume that the weak form packs together is ludicrous! Have you ever stopped to think that sometimes people are forced to work together? Now you're the one that's underestimating me!"

"Hmm," he murmured. "Our duel has begun… Should you die, your friend shall be food for my friends, and perhaps **you** as well…"

"Like hell that would happen!" Cliff countered, glowering at Spivak, his fists raised as he waited for his first strike.

Albel scowled darkly as he watched Cliff with narrowed eyes. _What the hell's he doing? He's just standing there like a sitting duck! _he thought heatedly. _If he doesn't keep his promise to me, we'll both be dead men! That bastard knows that, too! Damn it, when I see the first sign of weakness from Fittir, I'm defying his orders and kicking that monster's scaly ass!_

"First of all," Spivak began, "I must know your name. In order to mark your grave, I must know **everything**… To diminish this pathetic existence of yours, I must become that which I _oppose_."

Cliff raised his eyebrows at him, his guard successfully dropped. "What…?" he asked, before he lost control of his thoughts.

Spivak closed his eyes and Cliff's hands went to his skull, his face etched in pain. "Possessing your thoughts for the time being," the creature said. "Your name is Cliff Fittir, eh? Ah, **that **is why you are so defensive of him…"

Spivak's hands glowed an icy blue, and Cliff cried out, stumbling backward, trying to regain his balance, but at the same time, failing miserably. Albel's fingernails dug into his right palm as he watched Cliff become a pawn in Spivak's little game. His fangs bared, heart pounding, adrenaline shooting, his legs forced him standing on their own accord. How the hell could Fittir just let himself be controlled so damn easily! Did he **want **to be dead! Fuck no, he wouldn't allow that stupid dip-shit to fail, to allow them both to die! The beast had grown immensely inside him and now had control of his every movement and thought, desperate to annihilate this annoying menace that had its power over Cliff.

"I'm sick of seeing that damn smirk on your face," Albel growled, unsheathing the Crimson Scourge with a flourish.

"Albel, no!" Cliff shouted, his arms numb like noodles, his balance completely nonexistent. "I'm gonna kill him, and that's final!"

Albel glared down at the pathetic man Cliff had become, his scarlet orbs narrowed into slits. "Not if I have anything to do about it," he whispered hoarsely. "You can't even move, fool. Why should I just sit down and watch some _fool_ writhe about, when **I **could be doing the job myself? Huh? Tell me!"

"The way you think is interesting," Spivak murmured, his smirk more malicious than arrogant now. "Shall it be enough to save you, however? I think not."

"Your thoughts are bullshit!" Albel shouted, charging at Spivak, his right hand caked in his own crimson blood. "Action's how I settle things, not thinking! Thoughts and threats prove nothing, only that you're just another scumbag waiting for my blade to shred your unworthy skin!"

Cliff winced as he watched Albel and Spivak come blow for blow at another. He felt horrible, because Albel was still very injured, while he wasn't. Why should he have to watch a sick man fight? The guy didn't give a shit if he was bleeding to death, as long as he had a good blade and an opponent to slaughter! The only problem was, that Albel sometimes, well, more than sometimes, didn't think about his condition before going into a fight, such as now. The guy **was **brave, however, with the way he never backed out from a duel. Of course, this could have to do with his blood lust, and the sparkle was very apparent in his otherwise unfeeling orbs.

"From… now… on," Albel spat out, one word for every cut he inflicted, "I… won't… lose… to… anyone!"

Albel charged at Spivak again, only this time, the monster jumped over him and slammed his head into the cave floor. Cliff's eyes widened at Albel's pained, but determined expression. Was he just insane, or was he just too arrogant to admit defeat? He watched Albel climb up to his feet slowly, having to use his sword to prop on. Cliff's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Albel's movements become sloppy and ineffective. He just **had **to do something, damn it, but how? He couldn't move because of that damn monster's control over his brain, and he couldn't even structure a semi-rational thought. Something kept on whispering in the corner of his mind, 'the hands,' but what the hell did it mean?

"His hands," Cliff managed, causing Albel to glance over at him, unconsciously letting his guard down, and being knocked off his feet by a surge of white energy from Spivak.

"What?" Albel asked as he dodged Spivak's blasts of energy, his legs failing him a couple of times.

"I wanna take your place, but his hands are keepin' me down! Chop off the set that's blue," Cliff replied, each word sending shock waves to his brain.

Spivak smirked as he prepared for yet another round of blasts. "I doubt that he will be near me enough to do that, even when he is **dead**," he said, his head bowed, his palms slowly being filled with different coloured orbs.

"I don't need your help!" Albel shouted at Cliff, just barely sidestepping out of the way of another barrage of red and blue coloured blasts.

__

I don't need anyone's _help, _Albel thought, _especially not his!_

You need a time-out, a voice sternly stated. _You're exhausted, and the analeptic is wearing off._

It isn't! Albel retorted. _I'm only imagining it!_

Right… The voice sarcastically said. _Is **that **why your moves are weakening?_

They are not! he incredulously snapped back.

__

Keep telling yourself that and you'll be dead, replied the voice coldly. _Do you want that?_

Damn it, fine! Albel thought, scowling heatedly as he dodged another wave of different coloured orbs.

"_Goumashou,_" Albel growled, his talons glowing a bright crimson as he successfully shredded Spivak's first pair of arms from his body with his powerful swipes, his normal hand limp around the Crimson Scourge.

"How?" Spivak stuttered. "It is as if you have grown stronger in a matter of seconds! No matter, I can still destroy you and Cliff Fittir!"

"I don't think so," Cliff said, climbing to his feet. "If anyone, you're the one that's gonna die. You messed with the wrong guys, and you're gonna pay for it!"

"We'll make sure that you learn from your mistakes," Albel acidly drawled, taking a defensive stance, though his body protested.

Cliff eyed Albel's reopened wounds with furrowed eyebrows. "Albel," he said, catching his attention, "I think that you should stand down for a bit and take some time to recuperate. Your wounds look worse than ever."

Albel met Cliff's eyes and silently nodded, his expression bemused. "For once, I'll agree with you," he said apathetically, sheathing his blade. "Just don't let the previous incident happen **ever **again."

Cliff nodded, uncertain which situation that Albel was talking about; him immobilised, or the kisses. By the fiery gleam in Albel's eyes, however, he knew the answer to the unspoken question. _It's not fair, _Cliff thought. Albel broke their eye-contact as he sat down on the bottom 'step,' his gaze warily on Spivak, who only smirked as Albel's eyes narrowed.

****

To be continued…

A/N: I believe that Albel's the kind of person that would be possessive, don't you? I felt like the story needed more Action/Adventure in it, because it **is **the main genre, after all. I'm horrible at it, though, but at least I tried. This chapter's a bit of a disappointment, considering that practically nothing happens. I mean, it's so horribly constructed that it's so damn hard to tell what's going on. I've probably lost all my reviewers… If you're reading this, then I know that you're not going to review this shit…

****

HELP I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO FOR THE NEXT PART! Hey, could you guys help me? I have no idea what I should do for the next chap… E-mail me and shoot me some random ideas, okay? Could you guys do that for me? I really want to finish this story, but I need some help… I mean, with all these people who have read my story, someone should be able to give me an idea, right?


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